


One Last Jump

by 2891



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, First Kiss, Fix-It, Friendship, Long Shot, Love Confessions, Pining, Post-Canon, pining for the ages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22392466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2891/pseuds/2891
Summary: It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.
Relationships: Sam Porter Bridges/Fragile
Comments: 25
Kudos: 50





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.

“Sam!”

The door slams mercilessly in her face. She can’t move. She’s stuck in place.

A tar pit forms beneath her feet and long, slimy black hands begin to pull at her, dragging her under. The air around her grows cold enough to be seen. Her heart sinks and her chest fills up with sobs.

“Weren’t you about to go on a run?”

She turned at the sound of Deadman’s voice to find him standing in the back, regarding her carefully. He waddled closer so she turned back around fast, trying to hide her tears, but he caught sight of them anyway. “Chiral allergies? Is it still possible? I thought you couldn’t jump anymore.”

“I can’t. They’re not.” She choked out. “They’re real.”

Deadman looked at her, then at the gate, closed in front of them. “Did Sam just..?” He started, but pieced the rest together with ease. “He’s gone, huh?”

Fragile simply nodded, averting her eyes. She didn’t dare open her mouth to speak, fearing her entire insides would break.

“I’m going to miss him. He’s the first and only friend I’ve ever had.” Deadman said it with such sadness Fragile momentarily forgot her own. When she looked at him again, she noticed a few tears of his own. 

“And here I thought we were friends too.” She managed to feign her usual moxie and used it to cheer him up. Seemed to work. Deadman gave her a small chuckle. 

“We still have a connection, you and I. From when you took me to your Beach. That’s how I could feel your pain. I knew they weren’t from the allergies. I was just... trying to be polite.” 

“I know. Thank you.” She replied, with a sad smile. Deadman let a comforting hand sit on her shoulder for a few moments, soothing her pain somewhat. For a man who supposedly has no soul, he was, by far, the most empathetic person she knew. 

“I...should get back to work. Got a whole new world to reconnect to.” She wiped the corners of her eyes with her hands, ungloved, devoid of the self-consciousness she once harboured about them. However, as she turned on her heels to leave, Deadman tightened his grip on her shoulder, keeping her in place. “You want to know what I told Sam, before he left?” He said suddenly. 

Fragile was momentarily taken aback. “Should I know? Isn’t it private?” 

Deadman shook his head. “It’s the same piece of advice I would give you. I told him to give it a shot and see what happens. There’s a 70% chance of failure, but that’s not a zero.”

Fragile furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”

Deadman chuckled again, taking off his glasses to wipe them with his tie. “When I first met Sam in person, I saw the handprint you left on his arm. Of all the stencils on his body, yours was the brightest. ‘A clingy woman in a cave’ he said, when I asked him who’d done it. Seems to me, you just don’t want to let him go.”

_ So that’s what this is about. He wants me to leave him alone. _ The phrase stung. Nonetheless, she reckoned they were both right. “All I’ve done is cause him pain. Ask things of him. You’re right. I just need to let him go.” She sighed, dropping her shoulders in resignation.

“Quite the opposite. You need to keep holding on.”

“What?” 

“Don’t cut the strand.” Deadman urged, placing both of his hands upon her shoulders with care. “Holding on is the only way to not lose what you love.”

The proximity made it hard for Fragile to conceal the true extent of her grief, so she lied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Though he did not truly want to upset her further, Deadman pressed on despite her noticeable discomfort. “Whooo, you’re a proud one! I know you’d rather cut your tongue out before admitting it, but... Guess who took care of you when you slipped into that coma, huh? Every time you would come to, there’d be only one word on your lips: Sam, Sam, Sam...”

Incensed, she wriggled herself out of his hold, smacking his large, gloved hands out of her space. “How dare you? I only ever saw him as a colleague... a possible business partner if anything,”she blathered, flinging at him whatever tired excuse she found in her head.

Deadman cut her nonsense off. “I know your Beach, Fragile. I’ve seen your heart from the inside.”

She took a wide step back, shaking. Fury and fear rose from the pit of her stomach up to her face, reddening it. “Come on, Deadman! How can you say something like that to me? Did you see his face? He doesn’t want anything to do with us anymore! With me-” and that’s where she finally cracked, knees buckling. She fell into Deadman, sobbing hard into his chest. The large man gently wrapped his arms around her, feeling her thin frame sink into his embrace. 

“I’m not trying to be cruel. I wouldn’t tell you this if I didn’t know for sure.” He whispered quietly over her hair. Fragile sniffed loudly, trying to regain some modicum of control.

“Know what?” She mumbled weakly into his tear-stained shirt. 

“That it’s mutual.”

He carried on as her eyes widened. “I could feel it when you sent him on that one last jump. He almost didn’t go, because the connection between the both of you had become so strong.”

“Bullshit.” She spat, bitterly. “He loved Amelie. He loves Lou. Even you. But he sure as hell doesn’t love me. All he’s done is reject me.”

“Not you. Just what you were offering at the time.”

She responded with a simple scowl. Deadman felt rather amused at her obstinacy but endeared by the childlike transparency of her feelings. He patted her back softly and chuckled, laughter roaring low in his chest. He gave her another quick hug before he retired back to his lab, not before insisting a final time. 

“This is just what I believe... no, what I  _ feel _ to be true, through my connection to him, and to you. As far as I’m concerned, even if I don’t see either of you ever again, I won’t let go of our strands. After all, what is life without ties to those you love? No different from being dead. Take it from a dead man.”

— [to be continued].  



	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Main summary: It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.
> 
> \--  
> Ch. 2: Fragile makes a delivery at Heartman's lab, and has a heart to heart with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Un-beta'ed. My apologies for any grammar and/or spelling errors.

The first three years are a blur. She pushes everything and everyone away and throws herself into her work. It works. Fragile Express becomes the #1 delivery service in America.

The next two she spends simply going through the motions. Memories return, along with the pain, bleeding through as intrusive thoughts and dreams. She pushes on, ascribing the nightmares to exhaustion and the insomnia to stress. 

She devotes the following 4 years to expanding her territory with the aid of the new government, casting an ever wider net. With the new UCA’s chiral network, and no more Timefall or BTs, deliveries are far more expedite. The whole country is soon reconnected. Villages, towns and cities spread out organically. Animals are reborn and vegetables can be grown again. People convene as people once more; in parks, schools, hospitals and libraries. 

And yet, in this new hyperconnected world, she is alone. 

No friends. No family. Nothing in her life but work, which goes so well it rarely requires her presence anymore. 

Though she needn’t make deliveries herself anymore, she insists (against the wishes of her shareholders) to do runs in person from time to time. She says it’s to avoid getting rusty and to keep an eye on things, but reserves the real reason to herself. Sometimes a prepper inadvertently drops a hint, or while in unexplored terrain, she discovers an odd trail leading to hidden shelters, clearly lived in despite being abandoned. But she is always thousands of steps behind.

The more deliveries she’d made, she more rumours she collected and soon a disjointed story began to be woven out of the strands. She looked for him, she admitted in the end, though not really sure why, but after a while, looking became the point. 

Her search took off in earnest after a run she made to Heartman’s lab, about a year later. An order came through for geological samples to be delivered to his facility and she jumped at the opportunity to scan the area for leads. Sadly, it only led to disappointment, as the preppers there were few and by far the toughest to crack, offering nothing but lies.

Heartman was surprised to see her walk in with the cargo in person, though happy for the visit and the chance to converse with someone that wasn’t a hologram. 

“No one wants to settle up here, despite the added roads,” he explained, bumping his chiral hourglass on the table to reset it. “Excellent timing. I just got back from the Beach.”

“You still go?” She asked, a little surprised, as she let her eyes wander about the place, bathed in blue and pink neon light. 

“Yes. I haven’t stopped looking. I won’t until I find them, though I am not sure how many more trips I’ve got. My heart muscle is giving out, I’m afraid. The pain is quite acute nowadays.” Heartman straightened up and swung his legs over the long recliner to place his sneakers on the padded floor. He then gestured towards the sofa, offering her a seat.

Fragile took it, carefully crossing her arms and legs. “Why keep looking? It’s only destroying your heart and causing you pain.” She pontificated.

Heartman countered with a smirk. “Why do you?”

Fragile looked away with a small snort, piqued and silenced. Heartman retracted sheepishly, raising his hands. 

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just... you look just as sad and tired as I feel.” Contrite, he approached her and picked up the case by her feet, taking it over to his desk to withdraw the fossil samples within. Fragile watched as she let out a low sigh, feeling her back sink even further into the comfort of the sofa and her guard slowly dissolve. 

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag then, huh? Everyone knows about my epic quest already?”

He laughed. “Not exactly. Though, I would be lying if I said you haven’t made any noise. Your methods for extracting information haven’t exactly gone unnoticed around here. Poor fellows are terrified of you.”

“They’re keep trying to lie or bullshit me. It’s annoying.”

“Have you received the same sort of response from preppers in other areas?”

She shook her head. “Just the same empty rumours I’ve heard before. I’ve been around most of the map, back and forth, lost count of how many times, but it’s always a dead end. Nobody knows shit.”

Heartman cradled his chin as he considered the information. “Then it’s only the ones around here that are behaving suspiciously.”

She perked up at his deduction. “You think they know something?”

“One lies in order to mislead... or hide something, wouldn't you say?”

“I’m close then,” Fragile thought out loud. “Makes sense. Hide in some mountain. Sounds like Sam.” Heartman gave her a wink and a thumb’s up, which drew a small giggle out of her. 

“It’s good to hear you laugh again,” he pointed out, summoning up his computerised system on the glass panorama windows to input some of the fossil data.

It did feel good to laugh again, especially after having grown to believe she’d lost the ability altogether. Though not far from the heels of her small joy were the pangs of that old familiar ache; the unhealed wound. “If only I could still jump... one last time,” she lamented, quietly.

Heartman turned to look at her. “Your DOOMS... it’s gone, am I correct?

She nodded. “Along with everything else Amelie so graciously bestowed upon us.” Her tone was laced with such caustic bitterness, the scientist couldn’t help but raise a brow in concern.

“My dear, I am no guru, simply a man of science. Alas, I may be able to offer you a sliver of a silver lining. I am, after all, also a hopeless romantic that can’t stop searching for his loved ones, even to my own fatal detriment,” he kindly said as he pulled up a map on the giant screen, containing charts depicting chiral levels and the current weather forecast correlations. 

Heartman pointed at the data on the screen. “Theoretically speaking, although the levels of chiral matter have dropped significantly since the averted Death Stranding, there is still a strong connection to the Beach thanks to the network. We only send data now and not people, but that is not to say it isn’t possible. It just might take more effort.”

“Are you saying I can still jump?”

“With these levels? Not likely. What I really think is that, you may not be able to physically jump to Sam as you used to, but you can still ‘locate his Beach,’ in a manner of speaking. Provided you still have a connection.”

She chewed her lip at his last words. She had kept her side of the connection intact, but what if he had severed his? 

“You must remember, a person’s Beach is unique to them, and so are their connections to others. It is like a special handprint; a code that can only be read by those who have a custom-made key,” he illustrated, pointing to the  _ misanga _ that still hung on her wrist, frayed and old. 

Heartman walked away from the screen and towards his library as he continued, and Fragile couldn’t help but rise and follow him close with heightened interest. “These connections were clearly visible during the last phases of the Death Stranding, but they’re invisible now. That doesn’t mean they’re gone. Perhaps we should go back to the language of our ancestors to refer to them now, as it would make more sense with the way things are presently.” He spoke quickly, fingers flying through rows and rows of his massive library in search of a book.

“What did they use to call them back then?” Fragile asked, watching him mumble as he scanned the spines.

“Many things: fate, instinct, a hunch - Ah! Here it is.” He pulled out a tome and handed it to her, already open to a specific page. “In Eastern Asia, folk tales spoke of a ‘red string of fate,’ easily comparable to the way a Beach strand works. A string that connects point A to B that may on occasion become entangled, but can never be broken. They believed the string could travel through time and space, binding people together. Even the colour - red - is an allegory of blood, and blood was essential in connecting to the Beaches in our research if you recall.”

Fragile followed his fingers over the text and pictures, mesmerised by their intricacy. Her eyes fell on a drawing of a black-haired princess and prince and a lovely red string dancing around them, that reminded her so much of the BT cords, but in a beautiful way. Next to it was a photograph of a pair of stars in some region of outer space, referenced as the inspiration for the myth. Initially, she felt compelled to consider her ancestors idiots for conjuring up such dim witted tales based on their limited knowledge of the night sky. Yet she herself had been to the other side, and knew firsthand that people are interlinked through time and death and that these connections are as real as matter itself. If anyone is a fool it’s her, for wanting to deny something she had actual proof of. 

“5 minutes remaining,” Heartman’s defibrillator announced.

Heartman ignored it and continued. “So as you can see, the idea of Strands and Beaches and connected souls is a story as old as humanity itself.” He let his fingers rest on the page, thoughtful. “It may perhaps be the most human quality we possess.”

While he went to lay down on his recliner to prepare for another trip to the Beach, Fragile kept studying the picture, tracing the thin red line of ink with a finger. She ran a hand through her hair, letting the thoughts sink in.  _ Hunches are all I’ve gone on for so long, and nothing. There is no ‘Point B’ anymore. He’s gone, cut the string.  _

_ It’s just me holding the other, empty end. A stupid, lonely ‘A,’ stranded nowhere _ .

“1 minute remaining. Please hold on to something secure,” the AED machine droned out. 

Fragile walked up to Heartman and squeezed his hand in gratitude and farewell. “How do you even know where to look?” She asked him.

“I don’t.”

He smiled up at her, and squeezed back her hand. “Just follow your heart, Fragile.”

“Figured you’d say something cheesy like that,  _ Heartman _ ,” she chuckled, stressing his name with fondness. 

“I am truly sorry I cannot do more for you. Good lu-“

Heartman died before he could impart her with his goodwill wishes. Fragile took a moment to sit with it all, listening to the faint classical music and the flatline of his heart in the background. He again forgot to reset his chiral hourglass so she made sure to do it for him before she left. 

  
  


>> to be continued. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I'm super infatuated with DS right now, and need to just talk obsessively about it! If you want to hit me up on Tumblr, pls do:  
>  https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/
> 
> \- Asks and drabble requests are welcome!
> 
> \- Ch. 3 soon (just need to check it, but it's done already).


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Main summary: It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.
> 
> \--  
> Ch. 3: Fragile makes a few runs for Lockne, who gives her much needed support and help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Un-beta'ed. My apologies for any grammar and/or spelling errors.

_ “What did you do?!” _

_ “It got in the way,” she replied, running a hand through her freshly cut hair.  _

_ “In the way of what?” _

_ “Work.” _

_ He glared at her, yet there was terror in his eyes. “I told you no. It’s too dangerous. We’re not having this discussion again.” _

_ “Papa, that’s not fair! Why are you teaching me, then? I thought you wanted me to do this with you!” She stomped her foot on the ground, feeling hot tears stream down her face. _

_ The tired man’s Timefall-wrinkled face softened and he pulled her into a hug. “It’s too dangerous. Those ghoulish things are everywhere. I can’t risk losing you.” _

_ Her face was muffled by his broad shoulders and she breathed in deeply in his arms. The combination of his cologne and his own particular smell made her feel like a baby again. Faint memories came to her; of being carried by him, along with case after case of cargo as they sped through on a bike. _

_ “Papa, I have DOOMS,” she reminded him. “I can see them coming a mile away. I can do this, you know I can.” _

_ He tightened the hug. “When you were a little girl and I found out you had that horrible ailment, I was terrified. No one knew what to do, or how to help you. They told me to give up and brace for the worst. That’s why I trained you. I wanted to make you strong. To be able to stand in this world alone and not break.”  _

_ He tried to dissuade her with reason and authority, but the sight of his disheartened daughter broke his resolve. “All right, we can go on runs,” he conceded, “so long as you promise to be careful.” The girl jumped on him, throwing her arms around his neck, cutting his resigned sigh short.  _

_ “Thank you, Papa.” _

_ He smiled. She saw him pull something long out of his coat. “Can’t risk you getting caught in the rain. Don’t want you looking like me too soon,” he told her, giving her a funny-looking umbrella.  _

_ She twirled it around, happy. The man pulled back, giving her a long, sombre look. “If anything happens to me, promise me you’ll take care of the Express.” _

_ She smiled, nodding in agreement. “Papa, I may be Fragile, but I’m not-“ _

  
  


“Fragile? You OK?”

She looked around her private room, cold and clinical, trying to find the source of the voice. She remembered then where she was, and recognised Lockne’s voice.

“I’m fine. Just a bad dream.”

“You were crying real loud. Sorry I ‘barged in’ like this, but Malingen was concerned.” The voice echoed around the room as the lights turned on.

Fragile felt her face. It was wet, and so was her pillow. She began to rub it dry, confused. “I keep forgetting you both are- never mind. Please thank your sister and reassure her I’m fine.”

“I know,” the voice replied, sounding more like Mama. “I could feel you, like I could when my baby was upset.” The comparison made Fragile snort a little in amusement, unsure how to feel at being likened to a distressed infant. 

“Thanks for letting me stay at Mountain Knot. I’ll be out of your hair in no time.” Fragile said, changing the topic and undressing to take a shower.

“By all means, take your time. The trek back from Heartman’s isn’t easy, even with no BTs around. Plus, we could use your help if you want to take up a few orders while you’re here. I’m sure Heartman’s told you we’re still kinda on our own up here.”

“By choice, I presumed.”

“Yes. But it’s you. We make exceptions for family.”

The words went straight to her heart. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt connected to anyone, much less a familial bond.

“Listen...” Fragile squirmed sheepishly, standing under the hot stream of water. “I’m sorry I stayed away for so long, leaving you all with nothing but radio silence on my end.” She struggled to get the rest out. “It’s just... it hurt to-”

“I know,” Lockne’s voice interjected. “Nobody wants to lose what they care about. Easier if you beat ‘em to the punch and let go first, right?”

Fragile didn’t reply, but she was fairly certain Lockne could feel her remorse as clearly as any other of her emotions, provided they were strong enough, or at least her sister could. Lockne acknowledged over the comm and excused herself out. “I’ll let you get up and ready. Let me know if you need help with anything through the terminal.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

Fragile finished washing up and turned her attention to herself and her affairs. She was about to don the Express’ standard uniform when caught sight of her old duffel bag and umbrella, sitting unrecalled in a corner of the room. Why she still lugged those useless things around, she couldn’t say. There was no real need for the bag anymore. All she ever used it for before was carrying supplies and weapons, as well as cryptobiotes for the jumps. The umbrella was no more than just a fancy rain stopper now. Even though she was a private contractor, she wore a Bridges-like porter suit for the job, like everyone else in this line of work these days. And yet she still wore the jacket, despite the added heat, underneath it all. A small piece of who she used to be. Perhaps still was. 

With the thought of it lingering in her mind, she took it out of the bag and put it on, along with the rest of her old outfit. She observed herself proudly in the mirror for the grand total of mere seconds before she began to chide herself in shame. _ I should be happy things have changed _ , she forced herself into thinking, desperately wishing to be that Fragile once again. The one the world once needed.

The one Sam once needed.

Sick of herself, she took everything off and placed it back in the bag, leaving only her aged and tired body in the reflection. 

_ I’m still just a clingy woman in a cave.  _

She redressed and boarded the lift with her gear, impatient to push away the memories with work.

* * *

By the time she reached the foot of the mountain range she realised the didn’t need the couple of PCCs she brought along with her because the place was already well connected with plenty of zip lines. She decided she would recycle them or put them in a share locker once she got to a terminal, then wriggled the cargo on her back into a more comfortable arrangement before accessing the structure’s menu to ride it. A few instants later, she was zooming past treetops and cliffs, nothing but air beneath her feet. Despite the fact that most of the region’s roads had been completed and expanded upon, zipping from peak to peak remained the very best way to traverse the mountain region. 

She dismounted near the distro centre north of Mountain Knot City and walked inside the whale-like grey mouth of the building to submit her last delivery for the day. The activity at the terminal surprised her; porters wandered about, swapping supplies and stories animatedly as they waited in line to hand over their packages and get their ratings.  _ How things have changed. 10 years ago, you could count the souls in this place with your fingers. Now it’s as busy as a marketplace of old. _

She noticed that while most of them were Bridges, there were quite a handful of freelancers. She was the only one from the Express.  _ I’ll have to take care of that,  _ she figured. 

“Careful with MULEs. Might want to take a Bola gun with you, just in case. Tons of them around higher up,” the porter behind her advised, unheeded. Fragile gave him a curt nod, rolling her eyes when he couldn't see her. But the man insisted.

“Want me to go with you, sweetheart? I know the area well. Not even their little runts can spot me.”

Fragile was about give the man a few choice words, when the last bit caught her attention. “Runts?”

“Dammed MULEs reproduce like fucking rabbits, pun intended. They train their kids as scouts, so they can spot us and take our loot much faster - hey, it’s your turn.”

The slight shove from the line snapped her out of the conversation. She turned her attention to the terminal and turned in her cargo, earning her an S rating. She then recycled her unused items and fabricated a trike to take her back to Mountain Knot via the highway, adding a pair of boots and a gun (just in case). The man may have been unsavoury, but it didn’t make him wrong.

“So, what do you say? We don’t have to go on a run. We could just hit the hot springs nearby.” The porter pressed on, getting uncomfortably close enough she could smell the amount of days he’d had without a shower. “Thanks for the offer - and the advice - but I can take care of myself.” She told him, lifting up her arm so he could read the logo. The porter’s eyes widened in recognition and Fragile knew then she’d be left in peace. 

She hopped on the bike and sprinted up the ramp, feeling the cold smack her in the face the instant she was out in the open. The weather had taken a quick turn while she had been busy and she could now barely make out the lines on the road despite being right in front of her. She turned on the headlights, lowered her speed and pressed on towards Mountain Knot, wishing she could just jump away, not wanting anything more to do with the damned place. 

* * *

Lockne herself was standing by the terminal when she pulled into the cargo bay. Her fingers were nearly frozen around the handles, so Lockne had a couple of Bridges employees unload the packed gear and fabricated a small thermal pad so Fragile could thaw out her extremities.

“I guess that’s it. Finished all your runs, and everyone’s happy. Thanks for your help, Fragile.” Lockne extended a hand out for a handshake, but Fragile pointed to the terminal screen instead of taking it.

“You’re welcome, but-” Fragile pointed to the Standard Orders list. “Look. There’s still an order on the terminal.” It was meant for The Mountaneer, one of the more inaccessible preppers in the area.

Lockne read the order’s specs. “Yeah, nobody’s taken that one. Too far, terrain’s too dangerous... in my opinion, they’re just being pussies. Porters nowadays aren’t what they used to be. They’re certainly no Sam Bridges.”

“That’s for sure. Heard anything from him?” She gave it shot, for what it was worth, if only to cross out the box of tried things before she took off from the region for good.

Lockne gave her a look, but ultimately shook her head. “Nothing.” Though her tone was gentle, Fragile could hear things being left out. She scanned the mismatched eyes for some sign of an opening, but found none. Lockne/Malingen remained as unfathomable as the Seam itself. 

With no more left to do, Fragile grabbed her gear and attached what she needed onto the bike as Lockne watched. “Thank you Lockne. Malingen. For everything. I’ll try to stay in touch more often.” 

She gave her the handshake, along with a smile, and started walking towards the trike, aching to get a move on back to her HQ, when she heard Lockne speak again behind her.

“Malingen saw him though.”

Fragile spun back around. “What? Where?”

“She has a vantage point. She can still travel the network, and the network still runs through Beaches, where she still is.”

“So she can locate him? She knows where he is?” Can she-” She wanted to beg her to do so, but felt she was asking too much from the sisters; scared she’d drain them out of their sympathies. 

“No. I mean- we really don’t know where he is. But she saw him. On your Beach.”

“You mean back then? When we were trying to rescue him?”

“No. Last night. When you were crying in your dream. He heard you too, and looked for you through his own dream.”

“Fuck this!” She cursed, biting her lips until they almost bled. “I can’t believe all I’ve got to go on are fucking dreams! I’ve spent nearly a decade indulging my own stupidity. I truly have become a feebleminded old woman. I’m done. I’m going home,” she declared angrily, not knowing where exactly that was. 

Lockne grabbed her arm. “I really think you should take the order. It shouldn’t be a problem for a veteran such as yourself, I think.”

“You know something,” Fragile realised. 

“I know someone that knows something,” Lockne admitted. 

“Please.” She tried again to pry more out of her, but Lockne was a vault. Fragile never thought herself a violent person, but began to feel rather homicidal in that moment.

“Listen, we may be part of the new UCA, but I still have a responsibility to protect and respect the wishes of the people that live here. It’s nothing personal. But now that I understand how you feel, I know you’re not here to drag up the past, but to weave back the ends of a frayed rope. That is something I - we - can stand behind.” Lockne said, and pressed the “Access Order’ button on Fragile’s account, so the contract would be made. The system pulled up the cargo and slid it towards them on the belt.

“I can’t give you much, but I can’t stop you from talking to people,” Lockne said, handing her the case destined to The Mountaneer. “Or point you in the right direction.”

Fragile held the case by the handle. It was small, and light. Shouldn’t be much of a problem. “Can I stay here after I’m done with it?”

Lockne looked at her, surprised. “You’re going now? In this storm?”

Fragile nodded, pulling up the hood of her suit. “I’m sick and tired of waiting. I’ll sleep easier tonight if I have some real info.”

Lockne hesitated, but ultimately conceded. “Good luck and be gentle.”

Fragile let out a little snort. “Don’t worry. I’ve never broken a package,” she said, a little smug.

“I meant you. Anything that matters in life need to be-” Lockne paused, finishing the rest by pointing at the slogan underneath the logo on Fragile’s suit. Her father’s words.

_ Handled with love. _

>> to be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- What do you think so far? Hit me up on Tumblr: https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/   
> Asks and drabble requests are welcome!
> 
> \- Stay tuned for Ch. 4 ^^ should be out in a couple of days.


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.
> 
> \--  
> Ch.4 - Fragile gets caught in a storm and struggles to reach The Mountaneer, putting her life at risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.

She checked the map on her cufflinks, confirming for the fifth time she was, indeed, on the correct route. Yet when she scanned the terrain with the Odradek she could barely make out any of the markers with all the snow in her face.  _ I’m fucked,  _ she realised.  _ Should have listened to Lockne and waited out the storm.  _

The shelter sat hidden between a pair of peaks, in an area not that well connected and steep; a guaranteed tough haul, whether on bike or on foot. The temptation to turn back creeped up on her, but she was reminded of the urgency of the order so she trudged forward. After a few metres she spotted an old Timefall shelter where she stopped for a breather. Though the snow was plain snow again, harmless to containers, she checked it anyway for damage, thankfully finding none.  _ No one would ask for this unless it was absolutely necessary,  _ she thought, checking the contents. She waited for a few minutes before pressing on, hoping the wind would die down after a while. It didn’t.

It was a mistake. 

All of it. 

Especially the part about trying to get there by reverse trike. It was impossible to manoeuvre in the flurry and in the end got caught up in a cluster of rocks she naturally didn’t see. Because of her speed, she flew out of the seat, landing on her back. She was lucky she had placed the cargo on an arm attachment instead of her back, otherwise it would have been destroyed. Her back as well, had it not been for the thick bed of freshly fallen powder. 

_ I shouldn’t have come... I should have just let go... _

None of it mattered anymore as she began to slip into unconsciousness. She had almost made it; she had been so close. From where she lay she could see a circle of faint blue lights. The Mountaineer’s settlement was just below the hill she was on, a feasible walk had the strength to make it down. Lockne had been so generous as to give her a genuine lead and now she’d never know. The person who needed this medicine will die and so will she, without her answers. 

It began to get unbearably cold; so cold it felt warm. Then hot. Hypothermia began to set in. Then the world went dark.

* * *

She saw nothing but black; felt nothing but heat. No notion of time or space, just of the rising temperature. Everything moved. Her tired eyes tried to open but cold and snow kept them shut. 

And then suddenly, everything felt hot and wet. Struggling to breathe, she lifted her head up before she drowned. 

“What the?!”

The small figure stood before her, knee deep in the scalding pool of the hot spring in which, she realised, she had just been thrown. “Was it you?” She spat out, along with some water. 

“You were almost dead,” said the child. Fragile forced her eyes to focus and observe the tiny person carefully. The scrawny thing was wearing what looked like a patched-up child-sized porter suit. Fragile glanced over at the edge of the pool, noticing a makeshift backpack with an open body bag tied to it. 

“You carried me like cargo?” She asked, incredulous. “All the way here?”

The kid shrugged. “You’re not that heavy. I’ve carried much more.”

Too stunned to think, she sat back down in the water, disoriented and tired. “I have to go get my cargo. I’ve got an important delivery to make.”

“I’ve got your stuff. But the bike’s busted. No use going back for it.”

The words triggered the porter’s warning in her mind. She must have wandered inadvertently into a MULE encampment when she blacked out.  _ Shit. I’ll have to find a way to negotiate with the mini-terrorist _ , she realised.

Sobered up by fear of a possible threat, she tried to get up again. The egg-smelling water slid down her porter suit, making standing harder due to the added weight. 

“Fragile Express?” The kid read her sleeve. Fragile began to panic; if the little scout decided to ping her right then and there, the rest of the sentinels would show up and that Bola gun was nowhere to be seen. She was certain they would have little to no mercy towards the CEO of the largest private courier company in the country.

She snapped her attention back to the child, who poked distracted at her duffle bag.  _ Fuck!  _ Torn between escape and her most prized possessions, she chose the former, using the child’s distraction to grab the Mountaneer’s cargo and make a run for it. She raced down the slope, gaining dangerous momentum but also distance and within seconds, she was in the clear. She came to a halt by the door of the shelter, catching her breath and her bearings. From there she could see the spring, but saw no child anymore, nor her things and took that to be the last time she ever would.

* * *

“I can’t believe you came all the way here personally to deliver this,” The Mountaneer said overjoyed, shaking her hand with both of his. Fragile didn’t know what to tell him, except ‘you’re welcome,’ and wondered if she should add mention of the MULE scout in his territory, but ultimately she let the man enjoy his relief without further concern. It caught her completely off-guard to see him come out of the shelter so casually. She had never truly gotten used to people coming outside. Memories of an emptier world remained vivid in her mind, of when the most contact she would have with preppers was through holograms.

Truthfully, she had no idea how to handle the situation and tease out the information she needed from him. However, if she had any hope to get some worth something out of the man, she would have to play nice, like Lockne had suggested. 

_ Handled with love, huh? _

“You know, if you change providers and hook up with us at the Express, we could get supplies to you much faster,” she offered, using her pitch voice. “I could even throw in some private security for the area. Make sure those MULE kids stay away.”

The Mountaneer gave her a puzzled look. “What kids? There’s no one around for miles but us.” 

Fragile frowns. “I just saw a little kid out in the snow, on my way here.” She pointed to the log on the terminal that displayed the shelter’s inhabitants. “Says here you have a son. Was it him?”

“Sam? He’s the one the medicine was for. He’s been sick with pneumonia for days.” 

“Sam?” She repeated the name back to him, albeit with some effort. “Your son’s name is Sam?”

The Mountaneer nodded, sporting a proud smile. “Yeah. We named him after the guy that saved his life when he was born. Sam Bridges.”

A surge of electricity ran through her, like a lighting rod, fixing her in place. “You know Sam Bridges personally?”

“I... met him ages ago. Owe him my son’s life.” The man swallowed. 

“You know where he is now?” 

She saw him take a step back before answering. “Listen, you should be careful around here. There’s MULEs in the area...” and in the blatant contradiction he gave himself away, revealing the importance of what he was hiding. Fragile’s patience was absolutely depleted, so despite Lockne’s warning, she went instinctively for the kill. 

“Tell me where he is.” Her voice was dark with control. The man looked just about to break into a sprint. 

“I know you know something. Lockne herself sent me to find you.” She spoke walking into him, but the prepper stayed silent, letting himself be backed slowly into the metal wall. 

“I need to find him,” she implored, softening up. “If you know where he is, please tell me.” She leaned closer and peered into his eyes, desperate. She never thought she would beg anyone, for anything, but there she was.

“Please.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” He mumbled curtly, and slid away back into his shelter.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” She cried, punctuating each curse with a fist into the metal walls. She wanted so much in that moment to still have DOOMS and just blink out of existence; not to a Beach, but directly to the other side. She was finally done with it all. 

She ran out, her throat tight and her eyes wet, and stepped out into the snow, letting the frozen air cool her cheeks and freeze her tears. She scanned the yard, wandering about looking through the junk and scraps for a vehicle to steal and return to the city; get away from these cursed mountains for good. And just then, as she turned a corner, she spotted the little scout, kneeling atop the ruins of a Safe House foundation, rummaging through her duffel bag. 

_ Shit! _

She sprinted forward, working out in her head as she ran how to snatch the things out of the kid’s hands and hop onto the zip-line sitting just to the side in one quick swoop. Right as she approached she found the child carefully admiring her jacket. “You’re Fragile, from Fragile Express,” the kid said.

She stopped and nodded, feeling a little out of breath. “Yes. Look... just give me back my stuff. You helped me, so consider us square, OK?

“I know who you are,” the child repeated.

Fragile found herself losing patience. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I own the largest delivery company in the country, with many porters.”

The child’s eyes lit up. “My dad’s a porter too!”

Fragile cocked her head. “You’re not a MULE?”

The kid laughed. “No way!”

“I see,” Fragile replied, feeling significantly relieved, but also puzzled. “He’s a porter, huh? My company, perhaps?”

“Nope. Freelance. I want to be a porter too when I grow up. That’s why I practice out here every day.”

She couldn’t help the comparison. Warm waves of nostalgia washed over her, as well as some remnants of grief, as she remembered her dream. “My father taught me too. Everything I know about the business I learned from him. But he didn’t let me do much on my own because he was afraid I would break. That’s why he named me Fragile,” she told the child, feeling a little maternal.

“ ‘You’re Fragile, but not that fragile.’ I know. ” The child echoed her catchphrase back to her.

“What? How do you-”

“I told my dad I wanted to be like you when I grew up, but he said no, it’s too dangerous. But I still want to, so he lets me help him sometimes. Like old times he says. But I don’t know what he means, because I was too little when I went on runs with him, so I don’t remember. I was just a baby.”

Behind her the wind howled, drowning out the sound of steps approaching and a man’s voice as he called out, but before she could say the name, he did.

“Lou!”

>> to be continued. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is nearing its end! the reunion is coming in the next chapter :)  
> Connect with me at: https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Main summary: It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.
> 
> \--  
> Ch. 5 - Fragile finally finds Sam (and Lou). Sam confronts her and Fragile has to answer for herself, but struggles to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table with empty mugs of coffee, dirty plates, crumpled napkins and a lot of silence between them. Lou stayed outside playing in the snow, on the behest of her father who wanted to speak with his guest in private. After a long, silent journey with them through an intricate and convoluted network of zip lines, ladders and anchors, Fragile finally arrived at the hidden shelter of Sam and Louise Porter Bridges. 

“Who sent you?”

She let the question hang in the air for a very long time before saying anything. It had been so long without hearing his voice, she almost thought herself in a dream again. How many times, truly, had she dreamed of this very moment? It had been her driving force for years. The hope to someday meet again had been the only thing that kept her going through all the dead ends, false tips, lies and emptiness. 

And yet in all that time, not once did she work out what she would do or say if she found him. In the bottom of her heart, she had never really believed she would one day succeed. She just thought she’d die trying, and it seemed like a good way to die. 

The sound of Sam clearing his throat brought her back and she focused back on him. The years had made him even easier on the eyes, if that were even possible. She found it hard to keep her eyes on him, blinking excessively as if she were staring at the sun. Though he was draped in the shadows created by the kitchen light, his presence was just as intense. Her tired gaze fell on his bare arms, where she noticed her old handprint.

“I shouldn’t have grabbed so hard. I’m sorry.” She finally spoke, keeping her eyes on it.

“You have a strong grip, I’ll give you that,” Sam chuckled. He was making light of the situation and she felt herself begin to relax.

“Does it hurt?”

He shook his head. “No. Just the one time. Didn’t hurt the other times you touched me.”

She smiled. “I’m glad.”

Another pause; extended. They could hear Lou’s faint voice coming from outside, saying something excitedly while she kept herself entertained. 

“Didn’t even realise she was a girl with that hair. She’s pretty strong for her age,” Fragile observed distractedly.

Sam grunted in agreement. “Got you to blame for that. She saw your picture and decided that was that. I can’t get that porter idea out of her head.”

She smirked. “You got my picture?”

Sam looked to the side, catching himself. Fragile couldn’t help the pleased smile forming on her face and didn’t bother to hide it. The moment was short-lived, however, for Sam quickly shifted gears and pressed on, dryly. “It’s getting cold out there and I don’t want Lou to get sick, so let’s cut to the chase. How’d you find me?”

It was Fragile’s turn to clear her throat. “I spent years piecing together rumours, stories, tips… but it was pointless. In the end, I just got lucky.”

“How long?” 

“Ten years,” she almost whispered. “You hide well, Sam Bridges.”

“Jesus,” he exhaled, falling back into his chair and running a hand down his face. “A whole fucking  _ decade _ ?” Fragile replied with a nod, afraid her voice would crack. 

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d find you. I just kept looking. After a while, it became a habit.”

Sam gave her a look and huffed out a breath that rumbled deeply. “You must have a hell of a reason, then. What is it? The president send you?”

She shook her head. “I’m here on my own. No one knows I’m here.” 

She noticed him bouncing his knee, clearly on edge and tense, and picked up on the reason. “Don’t worry, I won’t reveal your location. I promise,” she reassured him.

Sam exhaled and stopped moving. “Is this about Bridges? They want me to do their bidding again?” 

“No.”

“What is it about then?”

She looked past him, drawing a blank. _ I… don’t- _

“Dad I’m freezing!” Lou called, coming in from the cold. The few seconds with the door open had let in a strong current of freezing air, causing them both to shiver. The storm had apparently worsened. To Fragile it felt like an opportunity and she decided to take it. “I’ll get a move on before the storm gets too bad.”

Sam looked at her in disbelief. “That’s it? You’re just gonna go? In  _ that _ ?” He pointed to the door with his thumb.

She ignored it and stood up from the table with the duffle bag and umbrella in her hands. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.”

“Hold on. Stay.”

Sam stood up as well. His imposing tone and towering figure left her slightly paralyzed. Lou approached them, eyes bouncing back and forth the adults with concern.“You’ll get frozen again,” she pleaded to Fragile. 

Refusing both father and daughter felt impossible, so Fragile conceded. “Just for the night. If you have room that is.”

Sam gestured with his head towards a door. “That’s my room. My delivery shit’s in there, but there’s a bed you can use. I’ll crash with Lou tonight.”

The girl gave a gleeful little skip at the idea. “Dad, don’t snore too loud though, or I’ll kick you out!” Lou teased, but Sam just waved her away with an affectionate grunt. 

“Go wash up and get ready for bed while I get things in the other room ready,” he told his daughter, who skipped away to the bathroom with a large grin on her face. 

“Sam...” Fragile started to thank him but Sam shooed her off with a grunt too. It made her smile, because she knew he was telling her she was welcome and she could understand the simple inflection easily. Sleepy and content, she leaned against the doorframe to watch as he fixed up the bed for her, struck with wonder at how normal it felt. The domesticity of the act came so naturally, as if it were just another evening in their shared life; the usual nighttime routine, somewhere between lights out and the goodnight kiss that, while she didn’t get, she found herself hoping for.

* * *

She awoke at the crack of dawn, thinking it a good time to go unnoticed, and yet couldn’t make herself leave. Instead, she draped the thin grey blanket she slept on over her shoulders and stepped outside. It was freezing cold and her thin skin resented it. Regardless, she stayed put taking in the scenery. It was simply majestic; colossally high snow-capped peaks rose above the horizon, cradling a rising sun coming up in swathes of pink and gold.  _ He chose a good spot,  _ she marvelled breathlessly. 

She revisited the idea of leaving without a word, but the same nameless thing which had compelled her to come forced her to remain. She sank, noticing that the heaviness of her feet belonged more to the desire to stay than to her weight against the snow. It was all a fight against herself; a need to run and a larger force that insisted upon confrontation. 

_ Honestly, what more do I want?  _ she asked herself.  _ I saw him, said hello. He’s fine. I’m fine. I’ve got the Express. Isn’t it enough? Why am I still here? _

“You’re still here,” Sam echoed from behind. “I thought I’d find you gone.”

She turned around awkwardly, startled by his voice, for an instant unsure whether it hadn’t come from her own mind. “Don’t worry. I’ll get a move on soon,” she said, covering up tighter with the blanket. 

Sam circled around to stand next to her, facing the landscape. He spoke, but didn’t look at her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not throwing you out. Just surprised, is all.”

“Why?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You were really itching to leave last night. Figured you have important business to get to.” He grunted and ruffled his bed-tousled hair nonchalantly. It was impossible not to stare; he was simply the perfect combination of rugged and adorable and it hadn’t changed a bit. She must have been smiling too because he noticed, and returned it. Heat rose up to her freezing cheeks instantly, flushing them and she laughed, amazed that she, of all people, could still be made to feel like a young, shy girl.

“I was. I do.” She smiled widely. “But it can wait. Besides, I need to find and repair my bike first.” 

“Just use the zip lines. Make a new bike when you get to the city. That’s what I always do.”

“So you still deliver, eh?”

“Sometimes. When I need to. Well, more like when people around here need something.”

“You haven’t changed at all.” The happiness in her voice rang freely. “Still thinking about others more than yourself-“

“That’s not-“

“-and still denying it.” She finished before he grunted her compliment away. Left mute in the face of the truth, he ceded with a slight nod and a simper.

“Fine. You got me. As usual. But just in case you  _ did _ come to offer me a job again, the answer’s still no.” He paused, looking over his shoulder at his shelter. “A  _ definite _ no,” he stressed. 

She meant to continue talking but a long yawn interrupted her and caused her to sidestep unintentionally into him. It had been a sleepy slip but he didn’t move away, and rather allowed her the proximity. So much warmth radiated off him, she felt pulled in closer.

“Sam, I didn’t come here to offer you anything,” she explained, remembering what Deadman pointed out so many years before. Sam had rejected all her offers in the past but now she brought him none. Yet she was still clueless about her own motive. He looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear it.

“Then why are you here, Fragile?”

“I... I dd-don’t-,” she tried to say, but her words got stuck in the frozen air. 

“Shit. Your lips are blue. You’re freezing.” Sam snapped into worry. 

Without further thought he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her shoulders to create warmth with the friction. Fragile froze, both from the cold and the sudden contact. This was the first time Sam had ever touched her. The handprint in the cave and the jumps had been her, but he had never before been the one to initiate contact. This wasn’t the Sam she remembered meeting but it was the one she remembered leaving; the one who despite rejecting everything had learned to reconnect with the physicality of the world. She leaned into his hands, into him, but prepared anyway for the shove that was to come once it got to be too much for him. But it didn’t come. 

Sam instead leaned back into her and pulled her into his chest. He took the blanket from her grip and draped it over both of them. Fragile stopped breathing altogether, far too stunned to even speak.

When she could again she asked him,“doesn’t scare you anymore?”

He replied with another grunt, that she felt as warm breath on her scalp as he breathed with his nose in her hair. “Still does, to be honest. But... never really bothered me if it was you.”

There was a sudden lump in her throat, and her eyes began to sting. “I-”

“We should get inside. Come on, I’ll make you some coffee.” Sam said and pulled away from her, turning to walk back towards the shelter. Fragile nodded with a small smile but overtook him quickly so he wouldn’t see her wiping her eyes dry.

* * *

Louise was already at the table, eating a bowl of cereal, when they both walked back in. “Hey Dad. I made some coffee and- Fragile! You’re still here!” The girl blurted out and jumped, catching Fragile in a waist-hug and almost knocking her breakfast over. 

“Lou!” Sam scolded lightly. “Careful, she’s- well, ‘Fragile’.” Lou immediately burst into laughter and Fragile too, glad for the distraction. Sam chuckled at himself, shocked at his awful dad joke. 

“I see you’ve taught your daughter well, Sam.” Fragile teased, leading the girl back to the table and taking a seat. Sam scoffed lightly as he grabbed a pair of mugs and poured coffee into them. 

“Don’t know about that. She’s always had an odd sense of humour, ever since she was a tiny little thing,” he replied, placing a mug full to the brim in front of her.

Fragile hooked her fingers through the handle and held the cup for a while before drinking to allow the heat to warm her aching hands. She caught Lou staring intently at them when she was not pretending to be minding her cereal. Though she felt the urge to cover them up, she didn’t, deciding to accept the natural curiosity of the child. 

“Lou, don’t stare,” Sam scolded again, this time a little more serious. Lou turned her attention to the cereal, now quite soggy, and scrunched her nose at it. “Eat it. We can’t afford to waste food.” He pressed and his daughter begrudgingly complied.

For about 5 seconds. 

“Is that what I’ll look like when I’m old?” Blurted the girl, catching both adults unawares. Sam looked mortified, but before he could admonish her anew, Fragile interceded. “Yes. When you’re much, much older. But that will just mean you lived a long life, and that’s a good thing.”

Her answer further fed the girl’s curiosity, causing follow-ups to pop up. “But then why is your face not wrinkly? Did you live a very long life? How old are you?”

To be honest, Fragile liked Lou’s innocent inquisitiveness instead of feeling threatened by it, and she allowed herself a nice, hearty laugh that helped put Sam at ease as well. It was obvious that he was still getting the hang of fatherhood. He was a little awkward here and there, but for the most part, a caring and attentive father to the little ball of energy that was Louise Porter Bridges. He reminded her so much of her own father. So much it hurt. 

“I’ve lived a long, interesting life Lou, and so will you,” she told the girl. “And if you grow up to be old and wrinkly, that will be a great achievement. My face isn’t wrinkly because I had an accident in Timefall, but I hope someday it will catch up. That will be a great achievement for me too.”

“What’s Timefall, Dad?” Lou snapped her attention towards her father, catching him completely off-guard. “Uh... it was a long time ago, when you were very little. We don’t have it now. Don’t worry about it,” he blathered out.

“But what is it?” the child insisted. Sam moved his hand in small circles near his mouth, gesturing at her to finish eating. “You have school, so finish up and get going.”

“But Da-“

“No buts. Just yours out the door in 5.”

Louise grunted discontented, eerily like her father, and wolfed down the last of her food. She then gingerly walked her empty plate to the sink to wash and put away and began to get ready. Fragile watched the entire interaction entranced and a little heartbroken, remembering her many mornings with her father, missing even the times he would be furious at her for something. What she would give to see him again... mad, happy, sad, but alive. 

“Dad I’m going over to Sam’s after school again, OK? I’ll be back for dinner though!” Lou yelled from the vestibule by the front door. “Dad, tell Fragile to stay for dinner!”

“You just did!” Sam yelled back. Lou gave them both a quick and loud goodbye and slammed the door, which Sam cursed at. He sighed tiredly, sinking back into his chair to finally sip at his coffee in peace. 

“So, will you?” Sam turned to her. It was hard to read his underlying expression. Fragile decided to counter.

“Do you want me to?” 

“Lou wants you to.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Neither did you.”

She furrowed her brow in frustration. “Which one?”

Sam scoffed, equally frustrated. “Don’t fuck with me, Fragile. Not you. There’s a reason I live in the middle of fucking nowhere. It’s to not have to deal with bullshit again. Don’t bring it home to me.”

Fragile lowered her head, a little ashamed. “You’re right, Sam. Enough people have lied and led you on. That wasn’t my intention. To be honest, I’m sorry I came at all. I should have left you alone. I should have- but I- I couldn’t...” She brought a trembling hand to her mouth, embarrassed at her lack of articulation. 

His fingers were on hers almost immediately, pulling her hand down and holding it. “Why are you here, really?” His tone was far gentler, affectionate even. “That’s what I want to know, because I know you Fragile, and this isn’t like you. You’re delivering shit all the way up here, in person. You could have sent anyone. At first I thought it was because Die-Hardman sent you for some other bullshit mission that I am  _ not _ going to get involved in, so I was ready to tell you to fuck off, but-“ 

He trailed off, looking out into empty space for a while. Fragile watched him struggle. She knew the memories and emotions he was fighting back, all connected to her, to Amelie, to the Beach, to the past they both fought hard to leave behind, washing back up. 

“You didn’t even mention him. Was it Deadman then?”

She shook her head again. “I haven’t talked to either since the inauguration. I left shortly after you did. I’ve only kept in contact with other people in the offices for strictly business issues related to Fragile Express.”

She paused, expecting another question, but he leaned back again and cupped his face pensively, waiting for her to continue. She swallowed. “I... did talk to Deadman, though.”

Sam furrowed his brow. “What about? He couldn’t have told you where I am. I didn’t tell anyone, not even him.”

“I know. No one knew where you are. I just talked to him about you. Heartman and Lockne too. They’re the one that encouraged me to seek you out. But since the Death Stranding is over and I’m out of DOOMS, I couldn’t just jump to you. I had to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“What way is that?”

“Follow my fucking heart,” she scoffed, trying to sound derisive, but her heart was pounding so loudly she barely heard her own words.

Sam was silent for a long time, so long that Fragile was convinced he was working out how to ask her to leave, decided she had overstayed her welcome. She braced for the dismissal when Sam suddenly slapped the table and got up. “I have work to do. Some deliveries for the folks in the towns nearby. You can get bike parts from the prepper at the bottom of the hill northeast on the lines. He collects vehicle scraps, so he ought to have something.”

Fragile acknowledged and rose from the table as well, walking over to the guest room to pick up her things. “Thanks. I’ll take off before Lou gets home so she doesn’t notice.”

“Don’t.” He said sharply. “Stay. I don’t want Lou to be upset when she comes home and finds you gone.”

She honestly thought it best to, but imagining Lou’s saddened face felt unbearable. “Fine,” she agreed, pushing the door open. “I’ll stay tonight, then leave tomorrow.”

“No.” 

Sam walked into her, backing her into the room all the way to the very edge of the bed like she had once done to him in a private room long ago. “I want you to tell me why you looked for me for so long but if it’s this hard to tell me, then I’ll wait until you can. But stay here until then. Please.”

His face was inches from hers and he looked so intently upon her she had the instinct to squint. The raw emotion in his eyes was far too overwhelming. 

Sam’s eyes shifted suddenly and he looked away, breaking contact. “If you still want to leave without telling me, I’ll accept it. In any case, I was happy to see you again, Fragile. I missed you.” 

He squeezed her hand briefly before leaving the room. As soon as he was gone, she jumped up and locked the door so she could finally cry unseen.

>> to be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the hardest so far. I re-wrote it like 5 times before I found something I was happy with. This, and the next one were the trickiest to get right, but I think I found something that works. Lemme know what you think here or on tumblr (or both!)   
> Connect with me at: https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/  
> Thanks for reading ❤︎


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been years since Sam left, disappearing without a trace. Fragile wants to forget but "the past just won't let go." She searches through time for a way to move on, until there is but one path left to take.  
> \--  
> Ch.6 [final] - Fragile and Sam finally have their long-due reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death Stranding (TM) is property of Kojima Productions / Hideo Kojima. Characters used for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> [un-beta'ed, so my apologies for any mistakes]

Night fell early, as it usually did in mid-winter, bringing along even faster gales and lower temperatures. Thankfully, It hadn’t been hard to find the prepper Sam had spoken about. Everyone in town knew him, needed him for repairs and parts. It hadn’t been an issue either to find what she needed and acquire it from him. She even managed to persuade the elderly man into her company’s service, which made her slightly ashamed of using the opportunity to further expand her territory. What could she do? She was just good at her job; it came as naturally as jumping had. 

She gave the shelter a last glance before she boarded the zip-line and lifted her face up at the sky, empty of clouds and littered with stars. Fragile had never believed in God, but there was something nearly religious about the infinite emptiness of the sky at that altitude. It was hard to believe it had once been blood red and swarming with beached things when the world nearly ended, just like ancient books had predicted. Yet the books failed to describe the world hereafter and how it should be lived in. People were only too quick to forget, or pretend to. Who could blame them? This had always been the goal. What they all had sacrificed so much for. The world; reborn.

Now she has to traverse it like everyone else. Strain under her cargo like the rest of them and struggle to get to her destination. Collapse in a cave to rest from exhaustion, use a ladder to cross a river or a climbing anchor to scale a cliff. 

Now she was just a person. Just another human being. No hero, no light footed shepherd who could jump between two worlds. 

Now she was just a woman. 

Instead of trembling at the sight of Higgs or the Extinction Entity, she now shook at the thought of confronting her feelings as she walked up the hill in the twilight, back to Sam’s place. Her sweat, cold, ran down her back and her breath hitched. How much longer could she delay the inevitable? Fear was like Timefall, accelerating the dreaded outcome and she was still as unable to stop it. 

The shelter came into view as she skipped over a rock in the terrain and she saw Lou waving her home. It wasn’t a hologram. She looked so happy to see her. It filled her with a tenderness so profound it hurt, yet soothed her tired body and soul.

“Fragile! you stayed!” Lou cried excitedly. “Come on, come on, Dad already made dinner.” With no chance to give the girl a proper greeting, Fragile let herself be led by the arm into the shelter, where a delicious smell received her. 

* * *

“Dig in.” Sam pointed to the pasta bowl on the table with the ladle in his hand. He scooped up sauce from a pan and poured it over the noodles. “Sorry, don’t have bread,” he said about the lack of side dishes. 

“Are you kidding? This looks amazing. Thanks Sam,” Fragile chuckled, watching Lou grin at them both with a mouthful of pasta and sauce dripping from the corners of her mouth. Fragile and Sam followed Lou’s lead and started eating.

“So what did you do today?” Sam started the dinner conversation by addressing his daughter. 

“Well I-”

“Chew and swallow first, Lou. Don’t want you to choke on your food, please.”

Fragile rolled her pasta around her fork and snickered, slowly becoming used to the charming dad-daughter interactions. “I went to school. Got an A on the geography test - thanks to you, Dad - and then I went over to Sam’s to play. And then I came home. Dad, is Fragile gonna live with us now?”

Fragile nearly choked and Sam almost spit out his entire mouthful at the craftily snuck in question. “What? No! I mean- she’s staying with us for a while, but I don’t know if- uh, anyway, glad you aced that test sweetheart.” Sam mumbled, totally blind-sided. 

When she could breathe again, Fragile offered Lou her own take on the matter. “I’ll stay for a bit, Lou. If that’s OK with you, of course.”

“Yes! That’s totally awesome!” Lou threw her hands in the air out of sheer joy. Sam smiled, reminded of when she was in the pod and would do the same exact thing when she was happy. 

Excited, Louise pushed her plate aside and leaned over to Fragile to whisper, though she could easily be heard by her father. “I’ll introduce you to all my friends, including Sam. He’s my best friend. His dad named him after my dad, did you know? When we grow up, we’re gonna become porters and make deliveries and go all over the country together-“

“Louise, honey, maybe-“ Sam tried to squeeze in some reason, still hesitant about his daughter’s plans for the future, but she carried on. 

“ -like you and my dad used to.”

Fragile stopped chewing. “He told you about that?”

Lou nodded. “He said out of everyone he worked with, he trusted you the most, despite what the rumours said.” She stopped for a second, scrunching her nose. “What _did_ they say?”

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose while Fragile laughed nervously, wondering whether to laugh or cry. Finally, he placed both his hands down on the table and in a very dad-voice announced bedtime. “Ok Lou, that’s enough for tonight. It’s getting late and you have school tomorrow too.”

“But Da-“

“Don’t ‘but Dad’ me, little lady. You need your sleep. Besides, I need to have a little chat with, uh, ‘auntie Fragile’ here.” He mouthed a silent apology to Fragile but she waved him off, not minding the nickname at all. 

“It’s OK, Lou,” Fragile reassured her. “I’ll be here tomorrow too and we can talk more. I’ll answer all your questions.” With that, Louise appeared satisfied enough to agree to leave them alone. 

Getting up and rubbing her eyes, sleepy, Lou made her way to her room. Fragile waved at her, “Goodnight Lou-“

“Dad also said you had ‘special powers’,” Lou said quickly, turning around suddenly. “He said that you took him all over the country, and that one time, you even took him to the place where people go when they die and I asked him if he was scared and he said no because he knew you would always find him. Maybe you can show me the special magic tomorrow. Ok, goodnight.” She mumbled the last bit quickly and closed her bedroom door, leaving Sam and Fragile watching silently from the table, with their mouths completely open.

* * *

“So.”

“So.”

No plates of food or mugs of coffee in the middle anymore. No more distractions and excuses to avoid their inevitable conversation, yet Fragile still found it impossible to begin. How was she to explain that she had just wanted to see him, and thus embarked on a ten-year journey just to pay him a visit? Would that even make sense? It certainly didn’t to her. 

“Maybe I can help you get started,” said Sam. “What have you been up to these past 10 years?”

Fragile leaned back, breathing in deeply, grateful for the prompt. The present was hard but the past was something she could talk about. “Work. Making sure my father’s legacy endures. Fragile Express is the largest delivery company in the world now.” She paused, looking at her hands. “Not that we know much about the rest of the world yet, but I’m willing to wager.” She kept braiding and unbraiding her fingers nervously, in an attempt to self-soothe. 

Sam moved his head up and down, considering the information. “What about the terrorists?”

“We have thorough background checks for that now. No one with a violent past gets hired. I’ve got the president to thank for that. He gave me top-level clearance to his security network so I can screen prospective employees.”

“Wow. That’s impressive. Congratulations.” Sam smiled at her, sounded truly pleased. It made her heart do another turn and she looked up at him. For a few quiet moments they simply enjoyed each other’s presence, grateful one for the other’s happiness.

That’s when it hit her, in silence of the pause.

“Fragile?”

“Sam. I came to tell you something.” She stood up, but her legs felt made of water. They wouldn’t help her stay up, she knew, but she had to try. She held up her wrist. The misanga slid down, catching Sam’s surprised eyes.

“I looked for you because I couldn’t cut the strand.”

“You mean on the Beach?” He asked, confused.

“I mean what that binds me to you. How I could always find you and jump to you. Although this,” she said, pointing to the bracelet, “is just a representation of something unquantifiable that I.. I just couldn’t let go of.”

Sam scratched his head. “I don’t understand. You don’t jump anymore. Why keep a connection you can’t use?”

Fragile swallowed and confessed. “Because it hurt less to hold on to hope than to cut the ties.”

“So you just spent 10 years wallowing in misery? That doesn’t sound like you.” Sam’s tone was soft, yet his words cut her like knives. She felt a little anger begin to pool in her stomach, though it was mostly directed at herself. Sam simply looked lost.

“I had no choice. I can’t cut this one, even if I can’t use it anymore. And yes, you’re right. It doesn’t sound like me. I’m not like me, Sam. I’m completely changed. You were what changed me.”

He stood up suddenly, forcing her face to shift upwards to meet his. She then realised it was grief on his face. “You could have,” he said. “I wouldn’t have blamed you. I.. tried to do the same after all.”

Fragile looked at him. “And did you?”

“No.”

Sam looked down. “That day, after I said goodbye to you, I tried. I couldn’t do it either with Lou. Even Deadman knew I wouldn’t. That’s why he told me to hold on and run.”

He shifted on his feet, pausing long before almost whispering. “ I... saw you in a dream. Almost thought I heard you crying.”

Fragile scoffed, finally realising the meaning behind his cryptic last words. “ ‘Everything I touch, I lose’ you once said. It’s bullshit. It’s precisely because you didn’t let go, that you have Lou.” She cupped the side of his face with a hand, forcing his eyes on her. “Don’t you get it? You lose what you walk away from.” 

“It’s because I didn’t give up that I found you. I don’t just mean now, or back then, in the cave. What I mean is that, after everything I’ve gone through in life, after my father and after Higgs, I lost hope. I wanted to end it all. But for some reason I held on, thinking, if I live long enough, I’ll find someone to love again someday.”

She let the words roll out of her mouth quickly, riding the high of adrenaline to get it all out before he could have an opening to reject her. “I’m happy because I lived long enough to fall in love again. I can lay this to rest now.”

_That’s enough_ , she told herself, and dropped her hands and shoulders. Kneeling briefly, she pulled the duffel bag and umbrella from under the table, where she’d placed them earlier. Sam looked at her wide-eyed, realising she had been planning to go since before the conversation started. “I will leave now, Sam. I won’t come back. Please tell Lou I’m sorry. And like I promised, I won’t tell anyone where you are and I won’t mention anything-“

“Fragile-” Sam cut her off but she was too scared to let him talk, so she continued talking over him. 

“-but now you understand why I can’t cut you out. There will always be a line from me to you, because I’m in love with you. Been for a long time. I know you don’t feel the same way and that’s fine. It is what it is.”

“That’s not-” Sam tried again, but she just shook her head, raising a hand at him to stop. “It’s OK. I know you care about me, and I’m quite happy about that. But, if I may be honest with you, I already made my peace with this being a one-way street. Ever since the Beach, I knew I’d be stranded alone with this feeling but I learned long ago how to travel alone. I can make my way home on my own.”

Sam looked desperate to say something, but Fragile was too exhausted to pay attention, so she barely noticed when he put his hands over her shoulders, his fingers smoothing over the tiny knobs her jacket that used to pop out back when it used to work. 

“Maybe I will see you on the Beach someday again. The real one,” she whimpered, her voice cracking in the end. “When our time here is over.”

“So long, Sam.”

She broke away, grabbing the bag and umbrella and turned to leave. But Sam didn’t let her leave. He grabbed her shoulders and held her just like they used to for a jump, forehead to forehead. Fragile couldn’t stop the tears, struggling to breathe through her sobs. Suddenly she gasped, not from the lack of air, but from the sensation of Sam’s lips over her own. With a gentle angling of his head he had bridged the chasm between them, now closed in an instant. 

When Lou walked out of her room, scared and worried by the commotion, she was met with the image of her father and Fragile locked in a kiss, slightly hovering over the ground with sparkles that looked like gold dust dancing all around them. The umbrella floated and whirled above them and the little buttons on Fragile’s jacket triggered into spikes. In a flash, they suddenly disappeared, blinking out of existence. 

* * *

[epilogue]

“Louise!”

She turns around to see her father appear behind the tall rocks, trudging through the snow towards her. She drops the fake cargo boxes she was hauling and tells the boy she’s playing with she has to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow Sam,” she reassures, and the boy nods, happy. 

“Why’d you come get me?” Lou asks her father as she takes his hand. “I could have taken the zip lines myself.”

“Weather’s getting bad. I was afraid you’d get stuck.” He grumbles, but she knows he was picking her up from her play date because he just felt like being a dad.

They ride the zip line together; Lou hunched over her father, riding piggyback. She lets out squeals of elation freely as they fly across the snowy peaks. Sam also laughs and yells out, his happiness echoing in the distance. It never gets old. 

They dismount near their home right as the sun begins to set. The wind and snowfall pick up making them rush towards the entrance. Though snow and rain are harmless once more, it doesn’t make them anymore comfortable to get stuck in it. It still sucks to get soaked. 

Once inside, they take off their boots, coats and gloves and go directly into the kitchen, where a large pot of curry stew awaits them. Lou grabs the cups and water pitcher while Sam sets the table and places a cosy on top for the hot pot to sit on. 

He’s about to scoop and pour some curry over the rice for Lou’s plate when she squeals loudly, “Wait!”

“Holy hell, Lou! You’re gonna give me a heart attack. Wait for what?”

“I’m home.”

They turn at the sound of Fragile’s voice, caught in the doorway. She shakes the snow off from her hair as she walks in. “I almost caught up with you guys. Saw you zigzagging on the lines.”

“You’re back!” Lou bounces up from her seat and attacks Fragile in a hug. Fragile squeezes her right back and plops tired on a seat. “I was rushing here, before the weather got bad. Didn’t think I’d be back tonight, but porters have been especially kind in the area.”

“How was the run?” Sam asks, resuming the pouring of curry over rice on the plates. 

“Good. Connected yet another prepper on the Express,” she says, with a snap of her fingers and a wink. “Business is better than ever.” She grabs the pitcher and helps serve everyone’s water as Sam passes her a plate.

She thanks Sam for the food and starts to eat, uttering a small moan of pleasure at the taste. “I finally found the last unconnected shelter and brought it back online. Feels good to fix things again.”

“You certainly do find and fix what’s broken,” Sam chuckles, pushing a plate towards Lou that the girl attacks unceremoniously. 

“No Sam, that’s you. You’re what fixed America,” Fragile teases, making a face in between mouthfuls, and he bursts out laughing. “Chew and swallow before you start being all deep and shit. It’s gross.” He mocks back.

“Dad! Language!” Lou chides, but Sam just sticks his tongue out at her, which makes her giggle. 

“Since when do you care?” He says with a grunts and blows her a raspberry. 

It makes all of them burst into laughter together. Had they any neighbours they might have wondered what the odd little family was up to this time. Inside, the man gives his partner a kiss and tells his daughter to finish her food, so she can go do her homework while they go over orders and emails and hopefully get an early night because tomorrow, and all the day after that, they all have to do it all over again. 

“You know, you were my first kiss,” he tells her later, as they lay on the bed. “I’m more than honoured it was with the hero of South Knot.” 

— end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [quick note on Sam last words] - I personally hated the whole Lucy storyline. I felt it was unnecessary, since it's absolutely believable that Sam could build a connection to Lou without having been a father before her; a man can bond with a baby on instinct. Also, I felt Lucy was quite toxic and their relationship was far from a healthy, loving one. In the end, I chose to cut that bit out for my story, making Sam a true ace, someone that had never had physical intimacy with anyone. You could also interpret it as Sam feeling that his past with Lucy wasn't valid, perhaps because he didn't have much say in it, or he just simply wanted to forget and start over. He's not very keen on remembering Lucy, as shown in the game when Deadman brings it up, and perhaps its out of pain, but I guess I wanted to believe its also because he just wasn't happy with hit.
> 
> AAANYWAY--
> 
> Well that's it! I hope you enjoyed this journey through my self-indulgent need for a happy resolution to the Fragile x Sam tension in the game. If you have ideas for family AU drabbles, feel free to throw them my way, I'm more than happy to keep writing about this cute little family :)
> 
> Lemme know what you think here or on tumblr (or both!)  
> \- Connect with me at: https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/  
> Thanks for reading ❤︎

**Author's Note:**

> \- I'm super infatuated with DS right now, and need to just talk obsessively about it! If you want to hit me up on Tumblr, pls do:  
> https://tenar-of-atuan.tumblr.com/
> 
> \- Asks and drabble requests are welcome!
> 
> \- Stay tuned for Ch. 2 soon :)


End file.
